Earlier we sent you a news release aboutabout former Marine Terry Mahoney and his3-day, 95-mile hiketo raise money for the Sentinels of Freedom to help severely-wounded vets. He startedhis hikeat Saluda, VAearly this morning and is about 10 miles into it, following Highway 17. His95-mile hike fromSaluda (nearWilliamsburg) to Quantico described below.Full details are below. Updates are posted onFacebook aton.fb.me/mklgy5
Last Tuesday, Flag Day, he hiked the key points of the Battle of Baltimore.http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=ZOm0OonT_hA
For More Information Contact: Terry Mahoney, 443-244-1246,EdMahoneyScholarship@CFNCR.org,
or (Press) Diane DeMarco, 301-696-8886ddemarco2@comcast.net,
Former Marine to Hike from Williamsburg to Quantico to Raise Money, Awareness, For Sentinels of Freedom
Washington, D.C….Former Marine Terry Mahoney is planning a three-day, 95-mile hike to raise money for the Sentinels of Freedom, an organization that benefits severely wounded veterans. The hike will start June 22from Lt. Gen. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller's birthplace in Saluda, VA (near Williamsburg) and end onJune 24at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va.
This is the third in a series of training hikes that the Operation Desert Storm veteran and his four-year-old German Shepherd, Karlos, are doing in preparation fortheir six-day, 185-mile trek this November. That hike will follow the C&O Canal Tow Path from Cumberland to Georgetown. All of the hikes are part of the “Walking for Those Who Can’t” fund-raising effort for the Sentinels of Freedom.
Sentinels providesfulllife scholarships to veterans from all branches, but as a former Marine, this path has special significance for Mahoney. “Puller, a WWII veteran, was the most decorated and beloved Marine in the history of the Corps.This hike honors him,but more so his son, the late Lt. Lewis Puller, Jr., a Vietnam War hero who lost both of his legs and parts of both hands as a result of a land mine,” explains Mahoney.
When asked specifically why Puller inspires such devotion, Mahoney responded, “Chesty was a mustang, an officer who rose from the ranks. He preferred the company of Sergeants to officers, and expected and received nothing less than absolute dedication from his men. If he told them they were going to have to make an assault on hell, they knew he would be right up front, giving the Devil a black eye.”
Regarding First Lt. Lewis Puller Mahoney states, “His sacrifice for his nation is similar to the kind of sacrifice potential Sentinels of Freedom have made. His Pulitzer Prize winning biographyFortunate Sonserves as an inspiration to me, and it is with pride and respect that I dedicate this hike to him.”
Mahoney, who is a service-disabled veteran himself, relates to the Sentinel’s of Freedom’s mission of providing scholarships and other opportunities for veterans. The goal of “Walking for Those Who Can’t” is to raise $60,000, the amount needed for one life scholarship. The project will receive $6,000 in seed money from the Ed Mahoney Scholarship Foundation, named after Mahoney’s father.
“There are lots of veterans sitting in wheelchairs that were ready to take on the world for their countries, and now they need our help,” says Mahoney. “As a service disabled veteran myself, I know that the Veteran’s Administration can’t provide all of the needed resources for veterans. Sentinels of Freedom is a dynamic organization that helps severely wounded vets transform themselves into successful leaders.”
“Sentinels takes severely wounded veterans, builds a community around them, provides them with a vehicle, facilitates their education, pays their rent/mortgage, finds them work, and does whatever it takes to help restore them to the full potential they had before they were wounded in the line of duty,” Terry explains.
Mahoney battled strong winds and thunderstorms to complete his first hike April 28. Mahoney followed Rte 140 west to Emmitsburg from Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s original school in downtown Baltimore, to the White House on the grounds of the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
His second hike, on June 14 – Flag Day – was an 18-mile trek through the key points of the Battle of Baltimore.
Upcoming Major Hikes
Mahoney also plans a hike of the Antietam Battle in September and the Four State Challenge in October. The latter trek involves hiking the Appalachian Trail from Pennsylvania to Virginia, a distance of about 45 mountainous miles, in just one day. “All of these trials will serve to publicize the November event, and hopefully appeal to people with different interests,” says Mahoney.
All funds will be deposited into accounts controlled by the Community Foundation for the National Capitol Region. Tax deductible donations can be sent to: The Ed Mahoney Scholarship Foundation, c/o The Community Foundation for the National Capitol Region, 1201 15 St. NW, Suite 420, Washington, DC 20005, or The Ed Mahoney Scholarship Foundation (CFNCR), C/O Harvest Bank of MD, 37 N Market St., Frederick, MD 21701, or donations can be made via PayPal atEdMahoneyScholarship@CFNCR.org(from the Pay Pal Home page, use the Send Money tab). Follow Terry’s training atwww.elmfund.wordpress.comand on Facebook atThe Ed Mahoney Scholarship Foundation.